How not to start off the New Year.

// January 6th, 2009 // Health, food

worstfoodOne of my favorite books for 2008 was Eat This, Not That!
. In it they break out the good from the bad, providing food swaps and alternatives to common good food myths.  Most of the bad foods and meals have been marketed to us as not bad.  No wonder why there is such widespread obesity and diabetes in the America.  We’ve been lied to.

Another great book is the kids version of that.  Called Eat This Not That! for Kids!
, it gives you the scoop on what is best to eat on the kids menu at the restaurants and fast food joints.  The creators of the book are associated with Men’s Health, which I don’t happen to read due to some of its content.

So they have this website where they provide a lot of really good nutritional info.  The best section is the worst foods in America list.  You’ll be surprised to find a few of your favorites on there.  Again, look down at your waist if you think I’m kidding.  So the top of the list for the worst food in America: Outback’s Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing (see picture).  It’s loaded with 2,900 calories, 182 g fat, and 240 g carbs.

That’s like eating 14 Krispy Kreme donuts according to the website.

5 Responses to “How not to start off the New Year.”

  1. Joe Pearson says:
    January 6, 2009 at 8:27 am

    It’s apparently just as important to eat slowly and not to eat until you feel full.

  2. Beth says:
    January 6, 2009 at 9:08 am

    That’s funny that you should write about this today. Last night I decided I would sign up for a class .. Lose Weight With A Better Balance™ at a place called Nutrition Works. My health insurance should even cover at least part of the cost becuase of my BP and cholesterol issues. I think I eat pretty healthy, but we’ll see what they say!

  3. Theron says:
    January 6, 2009 at 9:26 pm

    The problem is with the whole concept of eating healthy. It is a myth or misnomer as we know it. Take a drink like Gatorade. Seems healthy, but if you aren’t a marathon runner or serious athlete burning up calories, Gatorade will do nothing but add to your waistline. It’s a perception thing. Seems healthy. The best book to get is called The Abs Diet by the same author of Eat This Not That. I lost a bunch of waistline just by knocking out a “few” items on the menu that I didn’t think were too bad before reading differently. Plus I eat 6 times a day, not all the same amounts. Keeps the metabolism going even through the night. Christmas was a different story but I’m getting back on track again. Thanks for the comments. Good luck on the diet.

  4. Beth says:
    January 6, 2009 at 10:05 pm

    Hey .. Did you know Paula was a nutritionist? She does nutrition research at Harvard.
    Most days I eat fruit and shredded wheat (like Grandpa) or oatmeal for breakfast, fruit and/or nuts for snack, salad for lunch (with light oil and as much vinegar as I want), another fruit or yogurt for snack and then a reasonable dinner if we are home (my plate is always more than 1/2 full of veggies). I eat fish at least twice a week and try to be sure at least one of those a week is wild salmon. I didn’t even eat dessert on Thanksgiving or Christmas this year.
    I was always skinny as a kid, but 40+ and thyroid problems has changed that. I think my serious issue is that I need to go to the gym because I’m not active enough. Too bad playing taxi and working for basketball boosters didn’t make you lose weight or I’d still be skinny!

  5. Jon Merryman says:
    January 8, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    I know I should be appalled by those fries, but I want to eat them! YUM!

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